Providing over-the-air content to any device

ABSTRACT

Disclosed herein are system, apparatus, article of manufacture, method and/or computer program product embodiments, and/or combinations and sub-combinations thereof, for providing over-the-air (OTA) content to electronic devices. Some embodiments operate by automatically providing program listings of OTA content to the electronic devices, wherein the program listings are displayed in user interfaces of the electronic devices; receiving a user selection of particular OTA content from one of the electronic devices; receiving electronic signals containing OTA content from an antenna; processing, using a tuner, the received electronic signals to extract the particular OTA content therefrom; and transmitting the extracted OTA content to the electronic device for playback. In some embodiments, the extracted OTA content is stored in storage of said the electronic device for future on-demand playback to the user.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. Non-Provisional ApplicationSer. No. 16/430,982 titled “PROVIDING OVER-THE-AIR CONTENT TO ANYDEVICE,” filed Jun. 4, 2019, which claims priority to U.S. ProvisionalAppl. No. 62/775,453 titled “PROVIDING OVER-THE-AIR CONTENT TO ANYDEVICE,” filed Dec. 5, 2018. The content of each of these applicationsis incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND Field

This disclosure is generally directed to providing over-the-air (OTA)content to any electronic device.

Background

Even with the advent of cable and satellite TV, streaming media, DVDs,Blu-Rays, etc., over-the-air (OTA) content may still be valuable to manyusers. For example, by accessing OTA content, users may be able toaccess local TV stations, sporting events and other programming thatmight not otherwise be available except through pay to watch services.

But the ways to watch OTA content are limited. A conventional approachis to connect an antenna to a TV. In today's highly mobile world,however, being tied to a TV to watch OTA content is often not asatisfying or even viable approach.

Some rudimentary approaches for watching OTA content on mobile devices(such as smartphones) have been attempted. For example, a user canattempt to record OTA content on a digital video recorder (DVR) or otherset top box (STB), and then try to access that DVR to pull content tohis smartphone. But these approaches are time consuming and not userfriendly, and do not provide users with easy access to the wealth ofcontent (both OTA and non-OTA) that is available today.

SUMMARY

Provided herein are system, apparatus, article of manufacture, methodand/or computer program product embodiments, and/or combinations andsub-combinations thereof, for providing over-the-air (OTA) content toelectronic devices.

Some embodiments operate by automatically providing program listings ofOTA content to the electronic devices, wherein the program listings aredisplayed in user interfaces of the electronic devices; receiving a userselection of particular OTA content from one of the electronic devices;receiving electronic signals containing OTA content from an antenna;processing, using a tuner, the received electronic signals to extractthe particular OTA content therefrom; and transmitting the extracted OTAcontent to the electronic device for playback. In some embodiments, theextracted OTA content is stored in storage of said the electronic devicefor future on-demand playback to the user.

Some embodiments further operate by automatically providing programlistings of non-OTA content to the electronic devices, wherein the OTAprogram listings and the non-OTA program listings are displayed in theuser interfaces of the electronic devices; receiving a user selection ofparticular non-OTA content from one of the electronic devices;downloading the particular non-OTA content from a content sourceaccessible via the Internet; and transmitting the downloaded non-OTAcontent to the electronic device, for playback on the screen of theelectronic device.

This disclosure is also directed to an electronic device that receivesover-the-air (OTA) content. The electronic device may be a computer,smart phone, tablet, wearable, appliance, or internet-of-things (IoT)device, to name just some examples. In some embodiments, the electronicdevice is configured to: receive program listings of OTA content;display the program listings in a user interface on the screen; receivea user selection of particular OTA content through user navigation ofthe user interface; provide the user selection to a media device,wherein the media device, using a tuner, processes electronic signalsreceived by an antenna to extract the particular OTA content therefrom;receive the extracted OTA content from the media device via theInternet; and play the received OTA content on the screen.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The accompanying drawings are incorporated herein and form a part of thespecification.

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a multimedia environment whereover-the-air content is made available to a plurality of electronicdevices, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of a media device of FIG. 1 ,according to some embodiments.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example graphical user interface displayed on anelectronic device of FIG. 1 , according to some embodiments.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart for providing over-the-air content to anyelectronic device, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example computer system useful for implementingvarious embodiments.

In the drawings, like reference numbers generally indicate identical orsimilar elements. Additionally, generally, the left-most digit(s) of areference number identifies the drawing in which the reference numberfirst appears.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Provided herein are system, apparatus, article of manufacture, methodand/or computer program product embodiments, and/or combinations andsub-combinations thereof, for providing over-the-air (OTA) content toany electronic device. In some embodiments, listings of both OTA contentand non-OTA content (such as but not limited to on-demand streamingcontent) may be automatically provided to any electronic device that hasinstalled therein an appropriate software application (app). Users ofthe electronic devices may browse the listings and select OTA contentand/or non-OTA content for playback on the electronic devices. Non-OTAcontent may be provided to the electronic devices from content sourcesvia the Internet. OTA content may be provided from media devices thatreceive over-the-air wireless signals (such as radio frequency and/orintermediate frequency signals) from connected antennas, and extract OTAcontent from such received wireless signals for distribution to theelectronic devices over the Internet.

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a multimedia environment 102,according to some embodiments. In a non-limiting example, multimediaenvironment 102 is directed to playing content such as movies, TV shows,games, audio books, and music, to name just some examples. For example,the content may be over-the-air (OTA) content 110 which is content thatis embedded (that is, modulated and upconverted) into electronic signals(such as radio frequency, RF, signals) and then wirelessly broadcastedover the air. Also, the content may be non-OTA content, such as contentfrom satellite, cable, DVD, Blu-Ray, Internet streaming, etc., to namejust some examples.

In some embodiments, the OTA content and/or non-OTA content may beadvertising-based video on demand (AVOD) content. Example embodimentsfor the generation and operation of AVOD content are described in U.S.patent application Ser. No. 16/430,990, titled “Downloadable AVODContent,” filed herewith, which is herein incorporated by reference inits entirety, and these embodiments may be combined with any of theembodiments described herein.

The multimedia environment 102 may include a plurality of media systems150. Each media system 150 may be used by one or more users 152A. Themedia system 150 could be user 152A's home entertainment system, forexample.

Each media system 150 may include one or more media devices 106 eachcoupled to one or more display devices 104. Media device 106 may be anycombination of a streaming media device, over-the-air (OTA) contenttuner, DVD/Blu-Ray device, audio/video playback device, cable box,satellite box, and/or digital video recording (DVR) device, to name justa few examples. Display device 104 may be a monitor, television,computer, smart phone, tablet, wearable (such as a watch), appliance,internet-of-things (IoT) device, and/or projector, to name just a fewexamples. In some embodiments, media device 106 can be a part of,integrated with, operatively coupled to, and/or connected to itsrespective display device 104.

Media device 106 may be coupled to or integrated with an antenna 108.The antenna 108, in a well known manner, may be configured to receiveradio frequency (RF) signals containing OTA content 110.

The media device 106 may be configured to communicate with network 122.In various embodiments, the network 122 can include, without limitation,wired and/or wireless intranet, extranet, Internet, cellular, Bluetoothand/or any other short range, long range, local, regional, globalcommunications network, as well as any combination thereof.

The multimedia environment 102 may include a plurality of streamingcontent servers 124 (also called streaming content providers and sources124). Each content server 124 may be configured to communicate withnetwork 122.

Each content server 124 may store content 140 and metadata 142. Content140 may include any combination of music, videos, movies, TV programs,multimedia, images, still pictures, text, graphics, gaming applications,advertisements, programming content, public service content, governmentcontent, local community content, software, and/or any other content ordata objects in electronic form.

In some embodiments, metadata 142 comprises data about content 140. Forexample, metadata 142 may include a programming schedule of the content140, that lists content 140 that is available to be streamed to users152. The metadata 142 may also include associated or ancillaryinformation indicating or related to writer, director, producer,composer, artist, actor, summary, chapters, production, history, year,trailers, alternate versions, related content, applications, and/or anyother information pertaining or relating to the content 140. Metadata142 may also or alternatively include links to any such informationpertaining or relating to the content 140. Metadata 142 may also oralternatively include one or more indexes of content 140, such as butnot limited to a trick mode index.

The multimedia environment 102 may also include any number of OTAcontent information sources 118. Each OTA content information source 118may be configured to communicate with network 122, and may store OTAcontent metadata 154. The OTA content metadata 154 may include metadatapertaining or relating to the OTA content 110. For example, metadata 154may include a programming schedule of the OTA content 110, that liststhe OTA content 110 that is scheduled to be played both currently and inthe future. The OTA content metadata 154 may also include associated orancillary information indicating or related to writer, director,producer, composer, artist, actor, summary, chapters, production,history, year, trailers, alternate versions, related content,applications, and/or any other information pertaining or relating to theOTA content 110. The OTA content metadata 154 may also or alternativelyinclude links to any such information pertaining or relating to the OTAcontent 110.

The multimedia environment 102 may also include any number of electronicdevices 112. Each electronic device 112 may be a computer, smart phone,tablet, wearable (such as a watch), appliance, internet-of-things (IoT)device, etc., to name just a few examples.

The electronic devices 112 may be used by user(s) 152B. In someembodiments, users 152B may be the same as, related to or associatedwith users 152A. For example, users 152A, 152B may be in the samefamily, may be friends, or may be work colleagues, to name just someexamples.

Each electronic device 112 may include storage 115 and screen 116.

Also, at least some of the electronic devices 112 may have installedtherein an OTA app 114. The OTA app 114 operates in a user friendlymanner to automatically make available to the electronic device 112 bothOTA content 110 and non-OTA content. Users 152B of electronic devices112 are thus able to access OTA content 110 without having the burdenof, for example, configuring a DVR device to record OTA content 110, orhaving to manually navigate to the DVR device (or other set top box)over the Internet to access OTA content 110. Instead, accordingembodiments of this disclosure, listings of OTA content 110 areautomatically provided to electronic devices 112. Listings of non-OTAcontent are also provided to electronic devices 112. In this manner,users 152B are able to easily view, navigate, select and downloadcontent (both OTA and non-OTA content) for viewing on their respectiveelectronic devices 112.

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of an example media device 106,according to some embodiments. Media device 106 may include one or moreaudio decoders 202 and one or more video decoders 204.

Each audio decoder 202 may be configured to decode audio of one or moreaudio formats, such as but not limited to AAC, HE-AAC, AC3 (DolbyDigital), EAC3 (Dolby Digital Plus), WMA, WAV, PCM, MP3, OGG GSM, FLAC,AU, AIFF, and/or VOX, to name just some examples.

Similarly, each video decoder 204 may be configured to decode video ofone or more video formats, such as but not limited to MP4 (mp4, m4a,m4v, f4v, f4a, m4b, m4r, f4b, mov), 3GP (3gp, 3gp2, 3g2, 3gpp, 3gpp2),OGG (ogg, oga, ogv, ogx), WMV (wmv, wma, asf), WEBM, FLV, AVI,QuickTime, HDV, MXF (OP1a, OP-Atom), MPEG-TS, MPEG-2 PS, MPEG-2 TS, WAV,Broadcast WAV, LXF, GXF, and/or VOB, to name just some examples. Eachvideo decoder 214 may include one or more video codecs, such as but notlimited to H.263, H.264, HEV, MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG-TS, MPEG-4, Theora,3GP, DV, DVCPRO, DVCPRO, DVCProHD, IMX, XDCAM HD, XDCAM HD422, and/orXDCAM EX, to name just some examples.

The media device 106 may also include a buffer 206 and streaming module210. In a streaming embodiment, the streaming module 210 may operate toobtain streaming content 140 (that was requested by user 152) from astreaming content source 124 via the network 122. The media device 106may transmit the received streaming content 140 to its associateddisplay device 104 and/or to an electronic device 112 for presentationto the user 152 who requested the content.

In some embodiments, the received streaming content 140 may be bufferedin the buffer 206 for some time period before being provided to thedisplay device 104/electronic device 112 for playback. Such bufferingmay be performed, for example, to synchronize audio and video playback,or to support processing by the audio decoders 202 and/or video decoders204. In some embodiments, such buffering is typically not performed toenable later on-demand viewing of the received streaming content 140 bythe user 152. Instead, if the user 152 wishes to watch the content 140at a later time, the media device 106 will operate to re-stream thecontent 140 from the streaming content source 124.

The media device 106 may also include an OTA content tuner 212 and anOTA app interface 214. In some embodiments, the OTA content tuner 212operates to receive RF or intermediate frequency signals (or otherwireless signals) containing OTA content 110 from the antenna 108, andto decode and extract the OTA content 110 from the received signals in awell known manner. The OTA app interface 214 operates with OTA apps 114in electronic devices 112 to make OTA content 110 available to theelectronic devices 112. Such operation shall now be described withrespect to FIG. 4 .

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method 402 for providing OTA content 110 toany number of electronic devices 112, according to some embodiments.Method 402 can be performed by processing logic that can comprisehardware (e.g., circuitry, dedicated logic, programmable logic,microcode, etc.), software (e.g., instructions executing on a processingdevice), or a combination thereof. It is to be appreciated that not allsteps may be needed to perform the disclosure provided herein. Further,some of the steps may be performed simultaneously, or in a differentorder than shown in FIG. 4 , as will be understood by a person ofordinary skill in the art. Method 402 shall be described with referenceto FIGS. 1-3 . However, method 402 is not limited to those exampleembodiments.

In 404, the media device 106 may access the OTA content informationsources 118 via the network 122, to request and receive OTA contentmetadata 154 pertaining to the OTA content 110. The received OTA contentmetadata 154 may include, among other things, current and future programlistings of the OTA content 110 (sometimes called herein OTA contentlistings).

In 406, the media device 106 may access the streaming content sources118 via the network 122, to request and receive metadata 142 pertainingto the content 140. The metadata 142 may include, among other things, aprogramming schedule of the content 140, that lists the content 140 thatis available to be streamed for display to users 152 (sometimes calledherein streaming content listings).

In 408, the OTA app interface 214 in the media device 106 may interactwith the OTA apps 114 in the electronic devices 112 to cause the OTAcontent listings and the streaming content listings to be displayed inthe screens 116 of the electronic devices 112 for viewing and navigationby users 152B. FIG. 3 illustrates an example graphical user interface(GUI) 302 that may be displayed in the screen 116 as a result of theoperation of 408. The GUI 302 may include an area 304 wherein the OTAcontent listings are displayed, and an area 306 where streaming contentlistings are displayed.

In 410, the user 152B at one of the electronic devices 112 may navigatethe GUI 302 and select some content for playback on the electronicdevice 112. The content may be, for example, a movie, TV show, music,computer game, audible book, etc., to name just some examples. Then in410, the electronic device 112 transmits this selection by the user 152Bto the OTA app interface 214 of the media device 106. The electronicdevice 112 includes in this transmission an indication of whether theselected content is OTA content 110 (selected from area 304 in the GUI302) or streaming content 140 (selected from area 306).

As indicated by 412, if the content is streaming content 140, then 414is performed. Otherwise, if the content is OTA content 110, then 420 isperformed.

In 414, if the content is streaming content 140, then the streamingmodule 210 of the media device 106 may access the appropriate streamingcontent source 124 to request and download the requested content 140 viathe network 122.

In 416, the streaming module 210 may receive the requested content 140from the streaming content source 124 via the network 122. The streamingmodule 210 may buffer the received content 140 in the buffer 206 beforeplayback in 418, to synchronize audio and video playback or performaudio/video decoding, for example.

In 418, the media device 106 may transmit the content 140 to the screen116 in the electronic device 112 (via network 122, for example) forplayback to the user 152B. In some embodiments, the media device 106 mayalso or alternatively transmit the content 140 to the display device 104(via a HDMI connection 107, for example) for playback; this may occur ifthe user 152B is located in the media system 150 and is using theelectronic device 112 as a remote control for the media device 106.

In 420, if the content is OTA content 110, then the media device 106 mayreceive wireless signals (RF and/or intermediate frequency signals, forexample) containing OTA content 110 from the antenna 108.

In 422, the OTA content tuner 212 may, in a well known manner, decodeand/or otherwise process the received signals to extract the OTA content110 therefrom. The OTA content tuner 212 may only extract from thereceived signals the OTA content 110 that was requested by the user 152Bin 410.

In 424, the OTA app interface 214 in the media device 106 maytransmitted the extracted OTA content 110 to the OTA app 114 in theelectronic device 112 via the network 122. Then, the OTA app 114 mayplay the received OTA content 110 on the screen 116 for display to theuser 152B. In some embodiments, the OTA app 114 may store the receivedOTA content 110 in storage 115 for later, on-demand viewing by the user152B. Embodiments for such deferred, on-demand viewing, for example withregard to AVOD content that is downloaded to electronic devices 112, aredescribed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/430,990, titled“Downloadable AVOD Content,” filed herewith, which is hereinincorporated by reference in its entirety, and these embodiments may becombined with any of the embodiments described herein.

Also in 424, the media device 106 may provide the OTA content 110 to thedisplay device 104 (via HDMI connection 107, for example) for viewing bya user 152 who is using the media system 150; this may occur if the user152B is located in the media system 150 and is using the electronicdevice 112 as a remote control for the media device 106.

In this manner, and further to that described above, this disclosureenables OTA content 110 to be made available to display devices 104 andelectronic devices 112 that are either geographically local (that is,proximate) or distant from the antenna 108 and tuner 212 that were usedto receive and extract the OTA content 110 from wireless electronicsignals.

Example Computer System

Various embodiments and/or components therein can be implemented, forexample, using one or more computer systems, such as computer system 500shown in FIG. 5 . Computer system 500 can be any computer or computingdevice capable of performing the functions described herein. Forexample, one or more computer systems 500 or portions thereof can beused to implement any embodiments of FIGS. 1-4 , and/or any combinationor sub-combination thereof.

Computer system 500 includes one or more processors (also called centralprocessing units, or CPUs), such as a processor 504. Processor 504 isconnected to a communication infrastructure or bus 506.

One or more processors 504 can each be a graphics processing unit (GPU).In some embodiments, a GPU is a processor that is a specializedelectronic circuit designed to process mathematically intensiveapplications. The GPU can have a parallel structure that is efficientfor parallel processing of large blocks of data, such as mathematicallyintensive data common to computer graphics applications, images, videos,etc.

Computer system 500 also includes user input/output device(s) 503, suchas monitors, keyboards, pointing devices, etc., that communicate withcommunication infrastructure 506 through user input/output interface(s)502.

Computer system 500 also includes a main or primary memory 508, such asrandom access memory (RAM). Main memory 508 can include one or morelevels of cache. Main memory 508 has stored therein control logic (i.e.,computer software) and/or data.

Computer system 500 can also include one or more secondary storagedevices or memory 510. Secondary memory 510 can include, for example, ahard disk drive 512 and/or a removable storage device or drive 514.Removable storage drive 514 can be a floppy disk drive, a magnetic tapedrive, a compact disk drive, an optical storage device, tape backupdevice, and/or any other storage device/drive.

Removable storage drive 514 can interact with a removable storage unit518. Removable storage unit 518 includes a computer usable or readablestorage device having stored thereon computer software (control logic)and/or data. Removable storage unit 518 can be a floppy disk, magnetictape, compact disk, DVD, optical storage disk, and/any other computerdata storage device. Removable storage drive 514 reads from and/orwrites to removable storage unit 518 in a well-known manner.

According to an exemplary embodiment, secondary memory 510 can includeother means, instrumentalities or other approaches for allowing computerprograms and/or other instructions and/or data to be accessed bycomputer system 500. Such means, instrumentalities or other approachescan include, for example, a removable storage unit 522 and an interface520. Examples of the removable storage unit 522 and the interface 520can include a program cartridge and cartridge interface (such as thatfound in video game devices), a removable memory chip (such as an EPROMor PROM) and associated socket, a memory stick and USB port, a memorycard and associated memory card slot, and/or any other removable storageunit and associated interface.

Computer system 500 can further include a communication or networkinterface 524. Communication interface 524 enables computer system 500to communicate and interact with any combination of remote devices,remote networks, remote entities, etc. (individually and collectivelyreferenced by reference number 528). For example, communicationinterface 524 can allow computer system 500 to communicate with remotedevices 528 over communications path 526, which can be wired and/orwireless, and which can include any combination of LANs, WANs, theInternet, etc. Control logic and/or data can be transmitted to and fromcomputer system 500 via communication path 526.

In some embodiments, a non-transitory, tangible apparatus or article ofmanufacture comprising a tangible computer useable or readable mediumhaving control logic (software) stored thereon is also referred toherein as a computer program product or program storage device. Thisincludes, but is not limited to, computer system 500, main memory 508,secondary memory 510, and removable storage units 518 and 522, as wellas tangible articles of manufacture embodying any combination of theforegoing. Such control logic, when executed by one or more dataprocessing devices (such as computer system 500), causes such dataprocessing devices to operate as described herein.

Based on the teachings contained in this disclosure, it will be apparentto persons skilled in the relevant art(s) how to make and useembodiments of this disclosure using data processing devices, computersystems and/or computer architectures other than that shown in FIG. 5 .In particular, embodiments can operate with software, hardware, and/oroperating system implementations other than those described herein.

CONCLUSION

It is to be appreciated that the Detailed Description section, and notthe Summary and Abstract sections, is intended to be used to interpretthe claims. The Summary and Abstract sections can set forth one or morebut not all exemplary embodiments as contemplated by the inventors, andthus, are not intended to limit this disclosure or the appended claimsin any way.

While this disclosure describes exemplary embodiments for exemplaryfields and applications, it should be understood that the disclosure isnot limited thereto. Other embodiments and modifications thereto arepossible, and are within the scope and spirit of this disclosure. Forexample, and without limiting the generality of this paragraph,embodiments are not limited to the software, hardware, firmware, and/orentities illustrated in the figures and/or described herein. Further,embodiments (whether or not explicitly described herein) havesignificant utility to fields and applications beyond the examplesdescribed herein.

Embodiments have been described herein with the aid of functionalbuilding blocks illustrating the implementation of specified functionsand relationships thereof. The boundaries of these functional buildingblocks have been arbitrarily defined herein for the convenience of thedescription. Alternate boundaries can be defined as long as thespecified functions and relationships (or equivalents thereof) areappropriately performed. Also, alternative embodiments can performfunctional blocks, steps, operations, methods, etc. using orderingsdifferent than those described herein.

References herein to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “an exampleembodiment,” or similar phrases, indicate that the embodiment describedcan include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, butevery embodiment can not necessarily include the particular feature,structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarilyreferring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature,structure, or characteristic is described in connection with anembodiment, it would be within the knowledge of persons skilled in therelevant art(s) to incorporate such feature, structure, orcharacteristic into other embodiments whether or not explicitlymentioned or described herein. Additionally, some embodiments can bedescribed using the expression “coupled” and “connected” along withtheir derivatives. These terms are not necessarily intended as synonymsfor each other. For example, some embodiments can be described using theterms “connected” and/or “coupled” to indicate that two or more elementsare in direct physical or electrical contact with each other. The term“coupled,” however, can also mean that two or more elements are not indirect contact with each other, but yet still co-operate or interactwith each other.

The breadth and scope of this disclosure should not be limited by any ofthe above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only inaccordance with the following claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for providing over-the-air (OTA) contentfrom a media system to electronic devices, comprising: receiving a userselection of content from one of the electronic devices, wherein theuser selection includes an indication that the content is the OTAcontent; receiving electronic signals containing the OTA contentbroadcast by a first system external to the media system using anantenna, in response to receiving the user selection of the OTA content;transmitting the OTA content to the one of the electronic devices forplayback on a screen of the one of the electronic devices; receiving asecond user selection of non-OTA content from the one of the electronicdevices; determining whether to synchronize audio and video of thenon-OTA content in a buffer of the media system based on whether thesecond user selection indicates that the non-OTA content is for futureon-demand viewing; in response to determining that the second userselection indicates that the non-OTA content is for immediate viewing,storing the non-OTA content in the buffer to synchronize the audio andvideo; and transmitting the synchronized audio and video of the non-OTAcontent to the one of the electronic devices.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein the OTA content is displayed on a first display device of themedia system and a second display device of the one of the electronicdevices simultaneously.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the OTAcontent is stored in storage of the one of the electronic devices forfuture on-demand playback to a user.
 4. The method of claim 1, whereinthe OTA content is downloadable advertising-based video on demand (AVOD)content.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one of the electronicdevices is geographically distant from the antenna and the tuner.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: transmitting the OTA content to adisplay device that is geographically proximate to the antenna and thetuner, wherein the one of the electronic devices is being used as aremote control.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein a first user isassociated with the media system and a second user is associated withthe one of the electronic devices.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein asecond system external to the media system is configured to storemetadata associated with the non-OTA data and the metadata indicates thenon-OTA content available to be streamed to the media system.
 9. Anon-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions storedthereon that, when executed by at least one computing device, performoperations for providing over-the-air (OTA) content to electronicdevices, the operations comprising: receiving a user selection ofcontent from one of the electronic devices, wherein the user selectionincludes an indication that the content is the OTA content; receivingelectronic signals containing the OTA content broadcast by a firstsystem external to a media system using an antenna, in response toreceiving the user selection of the OTA content; transmitting the OTAcontent to the one of the electronic devices for playback on a screen ofthe one of the electronic devices; receiving a second user selection ofparticular non-OTA content from the one of the electronic devices;determining whether to synchronize audio and video of the non-OTAcontent in a buffer of the media system based on whether the second userselection indicates that the non-OTA content is for future on-demandviewing; in response to determining that the second user selectionindicates that the non-OTA content is for immediate viewing, storing thenon-OTA content in the buffer to synchronize the audio and video; andtransmitting the synchronized audio and video of the non-OTA content tothe one of the electronic devices.
 10. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the OTA content isdisplayed on a first display device of the media system and a seconddisplay device of the one of the electronic devices simultaneously. 11.The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the OTAcontent is stored in storage of the one of the electronic devices forfuture on-demand playback to a user.
 12. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the OTA content isdownloadable advertising-based video on demand (AVOD) content.
 13. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the one ofthe electronic devices is geographically distant from the antenna andthe tuner.
 14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9,wherein a first user is associated with the media system and a seconduser is associated with the one of the electronic devices.
 15. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the secondsystem external to the media system is configured to store metadataassociated with the non-OTA data and the metadata indicates the non-OTAcontent available to be streamed to the media system.
 16. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, the operationsfurther comprising: transmitting the OTA content to a display devicethat is geographically proximate to the antenna and the tuner, whereinthe one of the electronic devices is being used as a remote control. 17.A media device for providing over-the-air (OTA) content to electronicdevices, comprising: a memory; and at least one processor coupled to thememory and configured to: receive a user selection of content from oneof the electronic devices, wherein the user selection includes anindication that the content is the OTA content; receive electronicsignals containing the OTA content broadcast by a first system externalto the media device using an antenna, in response to receiving the userselection of the OTA content; transmit the OTA content to the one of theelectronic devices for playback on a screen of the one of the electronicdevices; receive a second user selection of particular non-OTA contentfrom the one of the electronic devices; determine whether to synchronizeaudio and video of the non-OTA content in a buffer of the media devicebased on whether the second user selection indicates that the non-OTAcontent is for future on-demand viewing; in response to determining thatthe second user selection indicates that the non-OTA content is forimmediate viewing, store the non-OTA content in the buffer tosynchronize the audio and video; and transmit the synchronized audio andvideo of the non-OTA content to the one of the electronic devices. 18.The media device of claim 17, wherein the OTA content is displayed on afirst display device of the media system and a second display device ofthe one of the electronic devices simultaneously.
 19. The media deviceof claim 17, wherein the OTA content is stored in storage of the one ofthe electronic devices for future on-demand playback to a user.
 20. Themedia device of claim 17, wherein the one of the electronic devices isgeographically distant from the antenna and the tuner.
 21. The mediadevice of claim 17, the at least one processor further configured to:transmit the OTA content to a display device that is geographicallyproximate to the antenna and the tuner, wherein the one of theelectronic devices is being used as a remote control.
 22. The mediadevice of claim 17, wherein a first user is associated with the mediasystem and a second user is associated with the one of the electronicdevices.
 23. The media device of claim 17, wherein a second systemexternal to the media system is configured to store metadata associatedwith the non-OTA data and the metadata indicates the non-OTA contentavailable to be streamed to the media device.
 24. An electronic devicethat receives over-the-air (OTA) content, comprising: a memory; ascreen; at least one processor coupled to the memory and the screen; andan app configured to, using the at least one processor: receive a userselection of content through user navigation of the user interface,wherein the user selection includes an indication that the content isthe OTA content; provide the user selection to a media system, whereinthe OTA content is broadcast from a first system external to a mediasystem therefrom; receive the OTA content from the media system via theInternet; store the received OTA content in storage for future on-demandstorage based on the user selection; play the received OTA content onthe screen; and transmit a second user selection of particular non-OTAcontent from the electronic device, wherein the media system determineswhether to synchronize audio and video of the non-OTA content in abuffer of the media system based on whether the second user selectionindicates that the non-OTA content is for future on-demand viewing,wherein in response to determining that the second user selectionindicates that the non-OTA content is for immediate viewing, the mediasystem buffers the non-OTA content to synchronize the audio and video,and transmits the synchronized audio and video of the non-OTA content tothe electronic device.
 25. The electronic device of claim 24, whereinthe electronic device is one of a computer, smart phone, tablet,wearable, appliance, or internet-of-things (IoT) device.
 26. Theelectronic device of claim 24, wherein a first user is associated withthe media system and a second user is associated with the electronicdevice.
 27. The electronic device of claim 24, wherein the second systemexternal to the media system is configured to store metadata associatedwith the non-OTA data and the metadata indicates the non-OTA contentavailable to be streamed to the media system.
 28. The electronic deviceof claim 24, wherein the OTA content is displayed on a first displaydevice of the media system and a second display device of the electronicdevice simultaneously.